From the Indian standpoint, the Paris Olympic Games was the most cathartic one seen in this century. Never before have so many Indian athletes come so close to winning medals and yet missed the mark by such narrow margins. It scarred players as well as fans.
It seemed as if bad luck had chosen India as its target and was unwavering in its aim. The biggest disappointment came when Vinesh Phogat was disqualified after she had seemed to be on the verge of winning the gold medal. That incident will be remembered as one of the unluckiest moments of Indian sport.
It will be ranked alongside Milkha Singh’s fourth place in the Rome Olympics in 1960 and P T Usha’s miss of a bronze medal by 1 /100th of a second in the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. Former gold medalist shooter Abhinav Bindra consoled Vinesh with a beautiful message. He wrote: “Not all victories end up as medals.
Some end up as stories that we tell our children.” Bindra is right. The name of Vinesh Phogat will always live in the stories of Indian sport.
But it is necessary to take a look at the broader picture too. India bagged five bronze medals and one silver. Six of our athletes finished in fourth place.
Even if our fourth-placed athletes had won a bronze each, we still would have had a total of eleven bronze medals and one silver. Is that sufficient for a country which boasts of a flourishing economy with plenty of funds to develop sports? When are we going to match China, Japan and other nations? It is time .